1. Field of the Invention p This invention relates to a shoulder webbing anchoring device used in a seatbelt system for protecting an occupant in a vehicular emergency situation, and more particularly to a shoulder webbing anchor securing an occupant restraining webbing to a side wall of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been proposed an automatic seatbelt system for automatically fastening a restraining webbing over an occupant upon his entering the vehicle and closing a vehicle door. In the automatic seatbelt system of the type described, the anchor portion of a shoulder webbing is to move back and forth in the vehicle in accordance with the opening or closing of the door, a driving force of a motor or the like, to thereby automatically fasten the webbing over or release the occupant from the webbing. Consequently, upon entering the vehicle, the occupant is automatically brought into a webbing fastened condition, thereby improving the safety of the occupant.
In the automatic seatbelt system of the type described, it is preferable to provide the shoulder webbing as high as possible in order to improve the performance of restraining the chest of the occupant. Although it is the case with conventional seatbelt systems, demand for the abovedescribed arrangement is particularly strong in the automatic seatbelt system in which the restrainment of the occupant tends to become imperfect.
However, if the shoulder webbing anchor is provided at a high position, then the occupant with a small physical build suffers from discomfort when the shoulder webbing is disposed around his neck.